Category: Environment

The DiviDivi Tree

“A tree is a poem written by nature
with roots in the earth and dreams in the sky.”

Strolling through the Polytechnic campus, one may encounter an unassuming tree that harbored a profound and sweeping tale.

Standing quietly in the Polytechnic area is the beautiful ‘DiviDivi’ tree – Caesalpinia coriaria, now accepted as Libidibia coriaria, belonging to the Fabaceae family. Its journey began far away in the tropical lands of America and the West Indies. Across oceans and continents, it found its way to tropical regions like India and Sri Lanka.

DiviDivi’s exceptional uniqueness lies in its remarkable resilience and ability to survive in harsh conditions. It can grow in dry and semi-arid conditions, and even endure in poor and sandy soils.  Its fruits have been valued for leather tanning and natural dyeing.  Moreover, the plant has also had uses in making traditional medicines.

One of its sweetest secrets is:

When its tiny flowers bloom, they offer nectar to the visiting flies especially velvety butterflies.

“Small flowers…. Fleeting visitors” – Together they create a “gorgeous association”.

When you get a chance to walk past the scintillating tree,

“Pause for a while,
Look closer,
Tune into the stillness,
Seek out naturally painted butterflies”